Benigno Fitial

Benigno Fitial
7th Governor of Northern Mariana Islands
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2006
Lieutenant	Timothy Villagomez Eloy Inos
Preceded by	Juan Babauta
Personal details
Born	Benigno Repeki Fitial (1945-11-27) November 27, 1945 (age 66) Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Political party	Republican Party (Before 2001; 2011–present)
Other political affiliations	Covenant Party (2001–January 5, 2011)
Spouse(s)	Josepina Padiermos
Alma mater	University of Guam
Profession	Manufacturing executive
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27, 1945) is the current governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Fitial was elected on November 6, 2005 and assumed office on January 9, 2006 and was re-elected to a second, five-year term in 2009.

Fitial founded the Covenant Party in 2001 after leaving the Republican Party.^[1] He rejoined the Republican Party on January 5, 2011, announcing that his goal will be to merge the Covenant Party back into the Republican Party.^[1]

Personal life

Born on November 27, 1945, and raised in a Satawalese family, Fitial graduated with honors from Saipan's Mt. Carmel High School in 1964. He obatined a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis on business management from the University of Guam.^[2] He is recognized as a University of Guam Distinguished Alumni.^[3]

Fitial is the first elected Northern Mariana governor of Carolinian descent.^[4] The Carolinians are a minority group whose ancestors immigrated to the Northern Marianas in the early 19th century, from the Yap and Chuuk islands groups of what is now the Federated States of Micronesia. Chamorros are the majority group on the Northern Marianas and a Chamorro has tended to win in past gubernatorial elections.

The Governor married to Josie Fitial, who moved to the CNMI in 1983 to support her family.^[5] The couple met while she was working as a waitress on Saipan.^[6] The couple have two children, Patrick and Christina, in addition to Benigno Fitial's four children from a previous marriage, Jason, Cathy, Junella and Julie. ^[5]

Fitial has described himself in the past as a "good friend" of convicted US Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, which has caused some controversy in both the Commonwealth and Washington. As vice president of Tan Holdings, Fitial worked closely with Abramoff, who was a consistent client of the family textile conglomerate.^[7]

Fitial and his wife are residents of Gualo Rai, Saipan.

Political career

Fitial worked as a budget analyst for the government of the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.^[2] He also worked as a former executive for Tan Holdings Corporation, which was the largest garment manufacturer in the Northern Mariana Islands at the time.^[8]

Fitial is a former member of the Republican Party, and even served as the chairman of the Republican Party in the CNMI.^[8][9]

Fitial left the Republican Party, and founded his own political party, the Covenant Party in 2001.^[8] He used the Covenant Party as a vehicle to run for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2001 gubernatorial election with his running mate, then-Education Commissioner Rita Inos.^[8][10] However, Fitial was defeated in a landslide by the Republican ticket of Juan N. Babauta and his running mate, Diego Benavente. The Babauta-Benavente ticket received 5,512 votes, the largest number of votes ever received by a gubernatorial candidate in history to date.^[8]

In 2003, Fitial was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives in the 2003 midterm election.^[8] Candidates from his Covenant Party were also elected, giving the party the majority in the House of Representatives. Fitial was further elected the Speaker by the House in 2003, replacing Republican Speaker Heinz Hofschneider.^[8] He represented Precinct 3, which includes parts of Saipan and the northern islands.

Governorship

Fitial is the seventh governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). He defeated independent candidate Heinz Hofschneider and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N. Babauta during the 2005 gubarnatorial election with 28.1 percent of the total vote after absentee ballots were counted.^[11] The 2005 gubernatorial election margin of victory was the closest in the history of the Commonwealth.^[4] Fitial and his running mate, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Villagomez were sworn into office on January 9, 2006.

Fitial has faced many challenges during his term as governor, including budget shortfalls, a weak economy even before the Financial crisis of 2007–2010, and declining Japanese tourism. He implemented a dress code of business attire for all cabinet members shortly after his inauguration.^[12]

Some observers and prominent publications (such as the Marianas Variety) have accused Fitial of concentrating power in his office.^[13] This includes a decision made to abolish the autonomy of at least two government agencies, with their functions being transferred to the executive.^[14] The governor and his supporters have asserted that drastic measures need to be taken to cut excessive government spending during the tenure of the previous governor, Juan Babauta.^[15][7]

Fitial meets with United States Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne on Saipan, CNMI, 6 June 2007

Fitial was away from office for several weeks in late 2006 when he underwent successful surgery at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on October 31 to correct spinal stenosis.^[16]

Lieutenant Governor Timothy Villagomez resigned from office on April 24, 2009, following his conviction on federal criminal charges related to fraud while he was a member of the CMNI House of Representatives.^[17] Villagomez became the highest ranking CMNI official ever to be convicted in a criminal trial.^[17] Under the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Constitution, when a Lieutenant Governor vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a successor with the "advice and consent" of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate.^[17]

Governor Fitial nominated the CNMI Secretary of Finance Eloy Inos to fill the Lieutenant Governor vacancy on April 27, 2009.^[18] Fitial and Inos had first met years earlier while both were working for the government of the now defunct Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.^[2] Fitial was working as a budget analyst, while Inos was employed as a tax manager for the Trust Territory's revenue division at the time.^[2]

Inos was unanimously confirmed in a vote by all 29 members of the Senate on Friday, May 1, 2009.^[19] Inos was sworn into office by Governor Fitial shortly after the Senate vote, becoming the Northern Mariana Islands first unelected Lieutenant Governor.^[19]

2009 Gubernatorial re-election campaign

Governor Benigno Fitial announced in March 2008 that he would seek re-election to a second term in 2009. ^[20]

On June 12, 2009, Fitial presided over Covenant Party midterm rally in Susupe with an estimated crowd of approximately 3,000 people in attendance.^[21] Fitial and Inos officially filed to run for re-election with the CNMI Election Commission on July 23, 2009, in the presence of nearly 200 family and supporters.^[21] In the November 2009 gubernatorial election, Fitial was challenged by the Republican nominee, Heinz Hofschneider, as well as independent candidates Juan Pan Guerrero and Ramon "Kumoi" Guerrero. In March 2009, Fitial had publicly stated that he will retire from politics if his re-election bid was unsuccessful.^[22] In the general election, Hofschneider led Fitial by just 8 votes; because none of the candidates won a majority, a runoff between Hofschneider and Fitial was triggered.^[23][24] Fitial won the runoff by 370 votes and therefore was re-elected.^[25] Due to a newly ratified legislative initiative, Fitial will serve a five-year term and the next gubernatorial election will be held in 2014.^[25]

2005 Gubernatorial Election Results

Work experience

• Government:
  • Speaker of the House of Representatives, 3rd, 12th, & 14th NMI Legislature
  • Vice Speaker, 5th NMI Legislature
  • Minority Leader, 2nd and 4th NMI Legislature
  • Chief Administrative Officer, 1st NMI Legislature
  • Budget Officer, 1st NMI Legislature
  • Budget Analyst, Trust Territory Government
  • News Director, KJQR Radio Station

• Business:
  • President, Bank of Saipan
  • Vice President, Tan Holdings Corporation
  • Special Consultant, L&T Corporation
  • President, Century Insurance Corporation
  • President, Century Travel Corporation
  • President, Consolidated Transportation Services Inc. (CTSI)
  • President, Pacific Oriental Inc. (POI)
  • President, Home Improvement (MPI)

• Politics & Civic Contributions:
  • Founder, CNMI Covenant Party
  • Chairman, Northern Marianas Republican Party
  • Chairman, Bush for President Committee for the CNMI
  • Chairman, CNMI Zoning Board
  • Chairman, NMI Trusteeship Termination Task Force
  • Chairman, 1st CNMI Civil Service Commission
  • Chairman, Saipan Municipal Scholarship Board
  • Member, CNMI Tax Task Force
  • Member, Republican Presidential Task Force (US)
  • Delegate, 1st Northern Marianas Constitutional Convention
  • Chairman, Constitutional Convention Committee(s) on Tax, Public Debt, Education, & Local Government

References

External links

• Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
  • Biography of Gov. Benigno R. Fitial
• Pacific Magazine: "The Business Governors": The Inauguration of Gov. Benigno Fitial and Lt. Gov. Timothy Villagomez
• Covenant Party Site

v t e Governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Camacho P.P. Tenorio Guerrero F.C. Tenorio P.P. Tenorio Babauta Fitial